This post is a bit different from my other sharing. This is to all the ladies about that Aunt Florence "visiting" we get every month.
I will be straight forward and open to this topic, so if you are not ready for it, check out my other posts instead!
When I look for a sanitary pads, I always go for the thickest padding and largest coverage ones since day one. As my flow was quite heavy, I need to use those for nights in day times too. And disposable ones were the only option I have been told.
Since I became a parent, I am more aware of chemicals in the products we use everyday, and living a sustainable lifestyle. I started using cloth nappies for my baby, Andy, last month to reduce as much of the contact of chemical as possible, and better to our environment. Then I thought why not giving a reusable sanitary pads a try too?
The cloth nappies Andy using are from TotsBots, they are really high quality and have been voted as the best cloth nappies brand in the UK. And I love that they manufacture in UK as well. And they recently launched their sister company, Bloom & Nora, making cloth sanitary pads. That's why I go for this brand as I have great confidence in the quality of their products.
Bloomer or Nora? They have two different materials, named under each collections. Bloom - made with Bamboo, 100% natural material. Nora - made with fleece.
They both come in 2 sizes, for days and nights. I have tried all the sizes and materials. They are all excellent in performance!
Bloomer (dark ones) has a softer and warmer feeling, it is slightly fluffier than Nora. And Nora (light ones) has a smooth, silky texture and thinner padding (same good absorbent).
Good absorbent? How many I need?
I have used them in 3 periods so far and the flow varied, and the last one was a extremely heavy flow. I was impressed with how great the absorbency is (both Bloom & Nora). Each pad lasted for at least 4 hours and even the smaller ones did a great job under such harsh condition! The surface stayed dried and no leak at all.You can barely see any "red" on the surface and I was surprised how much liquid it held when I rinsed them under the cold tap. I was overwhelmed!
In generally, if you change every 4 hours, you will need around 6 pads a day. Around 20 pads would be enough start this eco-friendly cycle if you wash at the end of the day.
How do I wash them? Anti-bacterial?
Every time when you get change, rinse the used one under the cold tap to avoid stain. Remember don't use hot water. Then put them in a water proof wash bag or I will soak them in a small bucket with some vinegar. And wash them in washing machine within 48hrs under 40c or 60c. You don't have to boil them to sterilize as washing in the washing machines is good enough, as well as bamboo is anti-bacterial.
Comparison Bloom ✔ Made with Bamboo ✔ No chemical, 100% natural material ✔ Feel Softer, warmer ✔ Darker colour can hide any stain (if have) ✔ More absorbent than disposable pads ✔ Oekotex certified ✔ Popper tabs to keep in place
✔ Made in UK ✘ Take much longer to dry (around 2 days)
Nora ✔ Fleece liner ✔ Stain repellent - easy to keep them looking new ✔ More absorbent than disposable pads ✔ Quick drying (within a day) ✔ Oekotex certified ✔ Popper tabs to keep in place ✔ Made in UK
✘ Not 100% natural material
In short, I enjoyed using cloth pads and they are very easy to clean. Don't worry about come in contact with your own blood, they are not scary at all. I geniunely feel great that I can reuse them and I feel luxurious using them and their absorbent is better then dispoable pads! I love both of them and most of the features are the same. I will mix use of them if you ask me to choose one. And I hope you will give cloth pads a try and join the sustainable lifestyle.
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